Three major (the power of three, sometimes you get two sometimes four) points drawn from this period
2: Growth of Christianity
1780s- 1880s
Koryo and Choson kingdom
- Koryo: Govt. based on Buddhism but corrupted Buddhist had exploit their power.
- Choson: converted to Confucianism to built strict and orderly society. It became dominant by the eighteenth century. First Catholic church was formed. Its belief such as equality and marriage system appealed to Koreans.
- Catholicism was viewed as a treat, was outlawed in 1785. At least 8,000 Korean Christians were persecuted, but Catholicism continues to spread rapidly.
1. Why might Korea under the Confucian Chosŏn dynasty have been an especially fertile
ground for Christianity to take root?
Confucianism promotes social hierarchy. In such a community, those who belong to a lower social class would seek for change; they would want a religion that values equality. The essence of Christianity was fortunately equality of all human beings regardless of their gender and occupation. Thus, women and people of lower social status particularly supported the spreading of Christianity.
2. What other religion that existed in Korea might have appealed to lower classes in a similar
manner as Christianity? How might this other religion have been hindered in attracting new
followers?
Because the regime of Koryo was corrupted, the newfound regime of Choson as well as its people, including people of lower social status, would have been attracted to legalism: a philosophy that promotes the “rule of law.” They would have thought that, had legalism been implemented earlier, the government would have been less corrupt.
3. Why did the government care which religion people practiced?
If the people supported a religion that went against its principles, its legitimacy would be questioned. Thus, in order to have better control of its people, the government tried to control religion. In many cases, religions have been used as a tool and had planted an impetus to overthrow governments.
Shamanism Group Questions
1. People believe in Fortune-telling and Shamanism because they want somewhere to rely on in their hard times and because the fortune telling has some truth in it and people think that they can get relieved from it. Also, with those papers that the people give, they will be able to get good luck. The people’s internal conflicts drive people to believe in this ritual.
2. The attitudes of the Korea University students about fortune-telling and Shamanism are very indifferent; they seem to have no interest whether Shamanism is right or wrong. Without being indignant, they accept why some Korean elders go visit Shamanism.
3. Our group's reaction was very similar to the Koreans in the interview. We did not grow indignant and disrespect our elders, but rather understood that there are some elders
4. List three questions your group could ask the students.
- Is there any difference in fortune-telling and Shamanism?
- What justification would Shamanist give to prove that they are logical?
- Does going to Shamanist relieve the stress?
5. The Catholics and Christians don’t necessarily respect Shamanism but some Korean Christians still visit clairvoyant foreseers in order to better understand their fate and future.
Legalism Questions
In Han Fei's ideal state what is the supreme governing authority, the will of the ruler or the law?
The one ruler or the supreme governing authority is the law itself and therefore, those who has the power to create the law is powerful. Also, he believes that those who believe the law if strong and those who does not is not strong. When everyone follows the law, the government will be powerful.
What are the "Two Handles" and how important are they to a legalist state? Why must the sovereign never surrender control over the two handles?
The two handles here are chastisement and commendation which is to punish and to encourage people to do something. These two way of control is important because it keeps everything under chaos so that not much crime breaks out. The Legalists believed that without these two handles, the society will be out of control.
What roles do individuality and private initiative play in Han Fei's ideal state?
Individuality and private initiative are both part of Han Fei's ideal state and this lets everyone in the society become more equal even if they are wealthier than someone else. Everyone has to abide by one law instead of having different individual laws.
Why do you think Legalism appealed to some people?
Legalism probably appeared because people needed to go through times of chaos and disorder in a wise way. They wanted something or someone to hold everything together. When they came up with legalism, it provided opportunity for those who did a wonderful job and it gave punishment to those who have committed crimes. Legalism to criminals didn't appeal that much. Also, since rich and poor were treated the same in this system, the poor probably favored this system more than the rich.
Imagine a series of conversations among a Daoist, a Confucian, and a Legalist. How would each respond on the following issues: What is the purpose of good government? What role does morality play in formulating law? What are the qualities of a superior ruler? The proposition "Might makes right."
First of all, a Daoist would probably say that governments should not exist and that people have to live the life as it flows. Morality plays a role in formulating the law by simply letting things be. People can follow their moral minds. The qualities of a superior ruler would be the one that is wise and without but knowledge. The superior ruler will have to be relaxed and following the Wu Wei. In the Confucian perspective, government should exist to lead people to go the right way and that people in the government should be very scholarly and erudite so that they can rule people wisely. Also, all laws that create will probably be moral because it has come out of the head of the one that has the right and bright mind. The superior ruler will be the one that is strong and learned. He has to be able to control himself and rule in spite of chaos. He should also be able to justify all his choices. In Legalist, they would believe that purpose of good government is having good law that can organize the society. Also, morality is very important because they think being biased is not a good thing. They believe people all need the same life no matter what kind of person they are. If the leader could follow the two hands, he is a good ruler. He should follow the chastisement and commendation to rule the people.
10/6/11
Go to the Essential Quotes of Taoism above and read through them. Be sure to note down answers to the following questions. (Be prepared to share your answers):
In Lectures on the Tao Teh Ching, Lao-Tzu says, that, "The mystery of the Mysterious is the gateway to all indescribable marvels". Does this quote have an equivalent to in Christianity? Are there other parts of the Tao Teh Ching that remind you of Christian ideals?
This quote has some equivalent to Christianity in a way that in Christianity, there are many trip to unknown lands in the bible. However, when you enter a mysterious place, you will find paradise there and it will be filled with what you want. This shows that when they enter the gate to a mysterious place that they have never seen before, they will be treated with abundance of things of their needs and mostly, freedom. The quote that says, "Heaven is long lasting and earth is enduring" also reminds me of Christian ideals because Christianity also believes that heaven will be there no matter what and when people try to continue the life on earth, things will not disappear. Christianity and Taoism has some connections.
See Passage 2, "Not honoring men....Not wanting rare things...Not paying attention..." How are does this help one understand how Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism found common ground and were not mutually exclusive belief systems?
These three points each represent something about different beliefs. Since they are written together, we can see the connection between them that they are all getting rid of greed. The first one about not honoring men is for Confucianism. Confucianism says to respect everyone no matter what status they are in. Therefore, they dislike the idea of not honoring men. In Buddhism, they value the belief that people should get rid of their desire which can be said in another wording, not wanting rare things. Last but not least, Taoism focuses on Wu Wei which focuses on letting everything flow which is equalling not paying attention to things and just letting things happen. Therefore, all three has some connection that all related to getting rid of selfish greeds.
In Passage 2, what do you think is meant by the lines, "relaxing the mind, reinforcing the abdomen, gentling the will, strengthening the bones"?
Relaxing the mind is not trying to force everything to happen and reinforcing the abdomen here means to meditate. When you meditate, you can let things go by without force. The part about gentling the will is to stop struggling against the flow of things and not to be selfish in solving problems. The last phrase means to always keep oneself healthy because Taoists value strength also.
Consider the last three entries from D.C. Lau's Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu describes government. How is this ideal different from Confucius' ideal? What present day system of government are you reminded of when you read this section? Do you think this is a good system? Explain.
Lao Tzu's government is different from Confucius's ideal that Confucius believed in a more scholarly government while Lao Tzu believed in Wu Wei. He still trusted that government should leave the country to flow. He believed that restrictions by the governments should not be made. Lao Tzu's ideas remind me of the today's government policy named anarchy, lawlessness. However, this system is not very good because due to human nature, without laws, society will fall into chaos and nothing will flow. Everything will just fall into ruins and eventually not become recoverable.
Regarding the third treasure that Lao Tzu describes, what do you think is his message? Do you agree? What does this say about people who are ambitious?
His message is that one who has morals should rule the country. He things if things flow the right way, those who are moral will be able to achieve their rights without struggling to do so. I don't think he is right because in today's day when people are largely swayed by media and propaganda, this might lead a country to become biased in a certain way. Lao Tzu would say, on the other hand, that people who are ambitious are trying to change the society as they want it to be and therefore soon fall into a disaster. Those not abiding by the society will soon fail to live a happy life.
Prepare an answer for the following questions"
1. Why does the author choose a butterfly?
It is because butterfly change throughout their life and there are many adages dealing with butterflies that show that small things can influence greatly. Since it has two meanings that both could apply to humans.
2. What is the importance of the water cycle?
The water cycle is important because everything eventually flows into something big and therefore we can see that they cannot judge something in the beginning. People will have to know that something greater might be their future.
3. What is the point about the 'man raising melons'?
It lets us learn not to judge people by their cover and their social status.
4. What is the author attempting to convey to the reader?
The author is trying to convey to the reader that people should not ignore something small after just judging by their cover because small things could create huge influence on the whole world.
Confucius : Humanity
1. The quality that jen or humanity focuses on is being able to love everyone around you. You should also care about the prosperity of the whole in order to achieve better state of life. He also says that generosity towards others is generosity towards yourself. Therefore, people who are willing to openly help others are humanists.
2. In most of the religions around the world including Christianity and Buddhism, people are taught to give and share. We can see that religions or philosophies which are part of religions have somewhat similar ties to each other. However, the difference is that Confucianism focusses more on the respect side. In Confucius belief, you have to at all times respect others. This is the basic principle of Confucianism.
Religion and Philosophy are both beliefs in one way that people have that control the way people live. Philosophy and Religions are ways that people could interact with one another in a particular way. Also, it let's people understand each other a little better because people all have different beliefs. Also, there are certain set of people who believe in that and people could decide to believe in it or not. Also, most of religion and philosophy are known commonly between people even if they do not believe in that religion or philosophy.
Why is Religion and Philosophy important?
Religion and Philosophy is both important because it lets people gain a greater understanding of each others' culture which means that they could respect each other more and be careful around each other. Religion totally raises our awareness of each other.
Christianity Group Questions
- Koryo: Govt. based on Buddhism but corrupted Buddhist had exploit their power.
- Choson: converted to Confucianism to built strict and orderly society. It became dominant by the eighteenth century. First Catholic church was formed. Its belief such as equality and marriage system appealed to Koreans.
- Catholicism was viewed as a treat, was outlawed in 1785. At least 8,000 Korean Christians were persecuted, but Catholicism continues to spread rapidly.
1. Why might Korea under the Confucian Chosŏn dynasty have been an especially fertile
ground for Christianity to take root?
Confucianism promotes social hierarchy. In such a community, those who belong to a lower social class would seek for change; they would want a religion that values equality. The essence of Christianity was fortunately equality of all human beings regardless of their gender and occupation. Thus, women and people of lower social status particularly supported the spreading of Christianity.
2. What other religion that existed in Korea might have appealed to lower classes in a similar
manner as Christianity? How might this other religion have been hindered in attracting new
followers?
Because the regime of Koryo was corrupted, the newfound regime of Choson as well as its people, including people of lower social status, would have been attracted to legalism: a philosophy that promotes the “rule of law.” They would have thought that, had legalism been implemented earlier, the government would have been less corrupt.
3. Why did the government care which religion people practiced?
If the people supported a religion that went against its principles, its legitimacy would be questioned. Thus, in order to have better control of its people, the government tried to control religion. In many cases, religions have been used as a tool and had planted an impetus to overthrow governments.
Shamanism Group Questions
1. People believe in Fortune-telling and Shamanism because they want somewhere to rely on in their hard times and because the fortune telling has some truth in it and people think that they can get relieved from it. Also, with those papers that the people give, they will be able to get good luck. The people’s internal conflicts drive people to believe in this ritual.
2. The attitudes of the Korea University students about fortune-telling and Shamanism are very indifferent; they seem to have no interest whether Shamanism is right or wrong. Without being indignant, they accept why some Korean elders go visit Shamanism.
3. Our group's reaction was very similar to the Koreans in the interview. We did not grow indignant and disrespect our elders, but rather understood that there are some elders
4. List three questions your group could ask the students.
- Is there any difference in fortune-telling and Shamanism?
- What justification would Shamanist give to prove that they are logical?
- Does going to Shamanist relieve the stress?
5. The Catholics and Christians don’t necessarily respect Shamanism but some Korean Christians still visit clairvoyant foreseers in order to better understand their fate and future.
Legalism Questions
- In Han Fei's ideal state what is the supreme governing authority, the will of the ruler or the law?
The one ruler or the supreme governing authority is the law itself and therefore, those who has the power to create the law is powerful. Also, he believes that those who believe the law if strong and those who does not is not strong. When everyone follows the law, the government will be powerful.- What are the "Two Handles" and how important are they to a legalist state? Why must the sovereign never surrender control over the two handles?
The two handles here are chastisement and commendation which is to punish and to encourage people to do something. These two way of control is important because it keeps everything under chaos so that not much crime breaks out. The Legalists believed that without these two handles, the society will be out of control.- What roles do individuality and private initiative play in Han Fei's ideal state?
Individuality and private initiative are both part of Han Fei's ideal state and this lets everyone in the society become more equal even if they are wealthier than someone else. Everyone has to abide by one law instead of having different individual laws.- Why do you think Legalism appealed to some people?
Legalism probably appeared because people needed to go through times of chaos and disorder in a wise way. They wanted something or someone to hold everything together. When they came up with legalism, it provided opportunity for those who did a wonderful job and it gave punishment to those who have committed crimes. Legalism to criminals didn't appeal that much. Also, since rich and poor were treated the same in this system, the poor probably favored this system more than the rich.- Imagine a series of conversations among a Daoist, a Confucian, and a Legalist. How would each respond on the following issues: What is the purpose of good government? What role does morality play in formulating law? What are the qualities of a superior ruler? The proposition "Might makes right."
First of all, a Daoist would probably say that governments should not exist and that people have to live the life as it flows. Morality plays a role in formulating the law by simply letting things be. People can follow their moral minds. The qualities of a superior ruler would be the one that is wise and without but knowledge. The superior ruler will have to be relaxed and following the Wu Wei.In the Confucian perspective, government should exist to lead people to go the right way and that people in the government should be very scholarly and erudite so that they can rule people wisely. Also, all laws that create will probably be moral because it has come out of the head of the one that has the right and bright mind. The superior ruler will be the one that is strong and learned. He has to be able to control himself and rule in spite of chaos. He should also be able to justify all his choices.
In Legalist, they would believe that purpose of good government is having good law that can organize the society. Also, morality is very important because they think being biased is not a good thing. They believe people all need the same life no matter what kind of person they are. If the leader could follow the two hands, he is a good ruler. He should follow the chastisement and commendation to rule the people.
Shintoism & Shaminism Questions
Current Events 10/7/11
10/6/11
Go to the Essential Quotes of Taoism above and read through them. Be sure to note down answers to the following questions. (Be prepared to share your answers):
- In Lectures on the Tao Teh Ching, Lao-Tzu says, that, "The mystery of the Mysterious is the gateway to all indescribable marvels". Does this quote have an equivalent to in Christianity? Are there other parts of the Tao Teh Ching that remind you of Christian ideals?
This quote has some equivalent to Christianity in a way that in Christianity, there are many trip to unknown lands in the bible. However, when you enter a mysterious place, you will find paradise there and it will be filled with what you want. This shows that when they enter the gate to a mysterious place that they have never seen before, they will be treated with abundance of things of their needs and mostly, freedom. The quote that says, "Heaven is long lasting and earth is enduring" also reminds me of Christian ideals because Christianity also believes that heaven will be there no matter what and when people try to continue the life on earth, things will not disappear. Christianity and Taoism has some connections.- See Passage 2, "Not honoring men....Not wanting rare things...Not paying attention..." How are does this help one understand how Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism found common ground and were not mutually exclusive belief systems?
These three points each represent something about different beliefs. Since they are written together, we can see the connection between them that they are all getting rid of greed. The first one about not honoring men is for Confucianism. Confucianism says to respect everyone no matter what status they are in. Therefore, they dislike the idea of not honoring men. In Buddhism, they value the belief that people should get rid of their desire which can be said in another wording, not wanting rare things. Last but not least, Taoism focuses on Wu Wei which focuses on letting everything flow which is equalling not paying attention to things and just letting things happen. Therefore, all three has some connection that all related to getting rid of selfish greeds.- In Passage 2, what do you think is meant by the lines, "relaxing the mind, reinforcing the abdomen, gentling the will, strengthening the bones"?
Relaxing the mind is not trying to force everything to happen and reinforcing the abdomen here means to meditate. When you meditate, you can let things go by without force. The part about gentling the will is to stop struggling against the flow of things and not to be selfish in solving problems. The last phrase means to always keep oneself healthy because Taoists value strength also.- Consider the last three entries from D.C. Lau's Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu describes government. How is this ideal different from Confucius' ideal? What present day system of government are you reminded of when you read this section? Do you think this is a good system? Explain.
Lao Tzu's government is different from Confucius's ideal that Confucius believed in a more scholarly government while Lao Tzu believed in Wu Wei. He still trusted that government should leave the country to flow. He believed that restrictions by the governments should not be made. Lao Tzu's ideas remind me of the today's government policy named anarchy, lawlessness. However, this system is not very good because due to human nature, without laws, society will fall into chaos and nothing will flow. Everything will just fall into ruins and eventually not become recoverable.- Regarding the third treasure that Lao Tzu describes, what do you think is his message? Do you agree? What does this say about people who are ambitious?
His message is that one who has morals should rule the country. He things if things flow the right way, those who are moral will be able to achieve their rights without struggling to do so. I don't think he is right because in today's day when people are largely swayed by media and propaganda, this might lead a country to become biased in a certain way. Lao Tzu would say, on the other hand, that people who are ambitious are trying to change the society as they want it to be and therefore soon fall into a disaster. Those not abiding by the society will soon fail to live a happy life.Prepare an answer for the following questions"
1. Why does the author choose a butterfly?
It is because butterfly change throughout their life and there are many adages dealing with butterflies that show that small things can influence greatly. Since it has two meanings that both could apply to humans.
2. What is the importance of the water cycle?
The water cycle is important because everything eventually flows into something big and therefore we can see that they cannot judge something in the beginning. People will have to know that something greater might be their future.
3. What is the point about the 'man raising melons'?
It lets us learn not to judge people by their cover and their social status.
4. What is the author attempting to convey to the reader?
The author is trying to convey to the reader that people should not ignore something small after just judging by their cover because small things could create huge influence on the whole world.
Tao of Pooh Questions
Confucius : Humanity
1. The quality that jen or humanity focuses on is being able to love everyone around you. You should also care about the prosperity of the whole in order to achieve better state of life. He also says that generosity towards others is generosity towards yourself. Therefore, people who are willing to openly help others are humanists.
2. In most of the religions around the world including Christianity and Buddhism, people are taught to give and share. We can see that religions or philosophies which are part of religions have somewhat similar ties to each other. However, the difference is that Confucianism focusses more on the respect side. In Confucius belief, you have to at all times respect others. This is the basic principle of Confucianism.
Confucius Questions
Short Story Questions
Buddhism Comparison Chart
Cheontae Buddhism
Works Cited
What do Religion and Philosophy have in common?
Religion and Philosophy are both beliefs in one way that people have that control the way people live. Philosophy and Religions are ways that people could interact with one another in a particular way. Also, it let's people understand each other a little better because people all have different beliefs. Also, there are certain set of people who believe in that and people could decide to believe in it or not. Also, most of religion and philosophy are known commonly between people even if they do not believe in that religion or philosophy.
Why is Religion and Philosophy important?
Religion and Philosophy is both important because it lets people gain a greater understanding of each others' culture which means that they could respect each other more and be careful around each other. Religion totally raises our awareness of each other.
Religious Journey